5 worst bowling figures in IPL history
Considering the T20 format's tendency to be inclined towards the batsmen, there have been plenty of instances where the bowlers have been hit all over the park. Yes, there have been career-defining spells with the ball as well.
But more often than not, the bowlers have had to face the wrath of the willow wielders. The situation is no different in the IPL, the world's grandest T20 tournament, where bowlers are regularly seen having bad days.
It doesn't speak for their talent, though, as even the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Jasprit Bumrah have been taken to the cleaners.
In this list, we take a look at the five worst bowling performances in the history of the IPL.
#5 Sandeep Sharma: 4-0-65-1 (vs Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Representing Kings XI Punjab in a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sandeep Sharma had a torrid time with the ball. George Bailey, the then captain of the Mohali-based franchise, won the toss and decided to bowl first. He handed the ball to the team's regular opening combo of Mitchell Johnson and Sharma.
While the former had a decent outing (conceding just 26 runs), the latter did not. Sharma ended up giving away 65 runs in four overs, with Naman Ojha and David Warner absolutely shredding him apart.
The only reprieve for him in that match was the lone wicket he could manage (Moises Henriques). Punjab ended up conceding 205 runs against the Sunrisers but eventually chased down the target with eight balls to spare.
#4 Umesh Yadav: 4-0-65-0 (vs Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Coming in at number four on this list is Umesh Yadav, who, during his tenure with Delhi Daredevils, conceded 65 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2013. With an astonishing economy rate of 16.25, it's fair to say it was not Yadav's day.
RCB managed to score 183, with 65 coming off of his bowling alone. The Delhi pacer conceded five boundaries and five maximums in his quota off four overs and failed to pick up a single wicket.
Yadav's colleagues, though, put in decent performances and managed to prevent Virat Kohli and his men from making the contest one-sided. Team Delhi eventually lost the match by just four runs.
#3 Ishant Sharma: 4-0-66-0 (vs Chennai Super Kings)
Ishant Sharma had a brilliant 2013 IPL campaign. The lanky fast-bowler picked up 15 wickets in 16 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad with an economy rate of 7.81.
However, the game against Chennai Super Kings is one match from that edition that he would like to forget. He gave away 66 runs against the Men in Yellow, who rode on Suresh Raina's unbeaten 99 to post a mammoth total of 223 runs on the board.
Raina was particularly relentless against Sharma and smashed four fours and a six in his final over to pile on the misery on the helpless Delhi lad. In reply, team Hyderabad never got going and lost by 77 runs.
#2 Mujeeb Ur Rahman: 4-0-66-0 (vs Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Mujeeb Ur Rahman is undoubtedly one of IPL's biggest success stories. He was still a teenager when he was picked up by Kings XI Punjab during the 2018 IPL Auction.
With 14 wickets in his debut season, Rahman was touted as the next big thing in spin bowling. However, he underwent a major slump the following season. The youngster was clearly not in form and had one of the worst bowling performances in IPL history in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In his quota of four overs, the Afghanistan spinner gave away a total of 66 runs and failed to pick up a single wicket. His countryman, Mohammad Nabi, was the brutalizer-in-chief, smashing two sixes in an over that saw Rahman give away 26 runs.
The Mohali-based outfit lost that match by 45 runs, failing miserably in its chase of SRH's total of 212 runs.
#1 Basil Thampi: 4-0-70-0 (vs Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Basil Thampi holds the dubious distinction of giving away the most runs in IPL history. The Kerala-born fast-bowler conceded 70 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 edition of the league.
In all fairness, he wasn't the only one to have a bad night. Three of the five bowlers used by SRH had an economy rate above ten. Thampi, though, had the highest (17.5).
He went for 19 runs in his first over, which included two huge sixes off his first two balls. His second over fetched his opponents for the night 18 runs.
Brought back into the attack to bowl at the fag end of the RCB innings, Thampi conceded 33 runs off his final two overs as the Bangalore-based team posted a total of 218.
In reply, the Sunrisers put up a valiant fight, scoring 204 and losing by only 14 runs.